was the Imperial

capital of Japan The current capital of Japan is Tokyo."About Japan"
The Government of Japan. Retrieved 9 March 2022.

during the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

(538 – 710 AD), which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture.

Etymology

Some of the many theories of what the place was named after include the bird

common crossbill The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and other ...

, or ''isuka'' in Japanese, or local geological features, e.g. 洲処 (''suka'', meaning sandbar, sandbank or delta) or 崩地 (''asu'') + 処 (''ka''). Or it may have been named in honor of Asuka (or Ashuku) Nyorai, the Japanese equivalent of

Akshobhya Akshobhya ( sa, अक्षोभ्य, ''Akṣobhya'', "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the ...

, one of the Five Buddhas of Wisdom, who is still worshiped in

Asuka-dera , also known as , is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest temples in Japan. Temple complex A number of records refer to the origin of the temple, such as the '' Nihongi'' and ''Fusō-ryakuki''. The o ...

(Asuka Temple), the Asuka-niimasu-jinja (the shrine for his manifestation as a Shinto god), and several other structures from those days.

Archaeology

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

projects continue to uncover relics from these ruins. Recent discoveries in the area include Wado coins, believed to be some of the oldest coins in Japan, and paintings in the Kitora and Takamatsuzuka

Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

, or tombs. The Ishibutai Kofun is also located in Asuka. On March 12, 2004, the discovery of the remains of a residence's main building adjacent to the kofun was announced. It is likely that the residence belonged to

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the go ...

, who is believed to have been entombed in the kofun.

Access

Asuka can be reached from either

Okadera Station is a railway station located in Kashihara, Nara, Japan. The station was named after Oka-dera, a Buddhist temple located east of the station. However, the temple recommends visitors use Kashiharajingū-mae Station for bus connections since the ...

Asuka Station is a railway station located in Asuka, Takaichi, Nara, Japan, on the Kintetsu Railway Yoshino Line. Lines * Kintetsu Railway ** Yoshino Line Platforms and tracks Surroundings * *Takamatsuzuka Tomb *Ishibutai Kofun *Oni no Manaita, On ...

on the

Kintetsu ''Kintetsu'' is the abbreviation of , or Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese railway corporation. It may also refer to: Companies * Kintetsu Group Holdings, the holding corporation of the Kintetsu Railway ** Kintetsu Bus, a bus company and a subsidiary ...

train line, or by car on Route 169.

Imperial palaces

In the

, various palaces were constructed for each monarch. As soon as one emperor died, the whole court moved to a newly constructed palace, since it was considered dangerous to remain in a place where a deceased monarch's spirit might reside. Sometimes even during a single emperor's reign, palaces were changed multiple times due to destruction by fire or ill omens. Since these palaces were entirely constructed from wood, none of them have survived, although some archaeological work in modern times has uncovered such remains as stone bases for pillars. Sakurai was briefly the

capital of Japan The current capital of Japan is Tokyo."About Japan"
The Government of Japan. Retrieved 9 March 2022.

during the reign of

Emperor Ingyō was the 19th legendary Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 允恭天皇 (19) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but he is ...

. The life of the Imperial court was centered at the Palace of ''Tohotsu'' where the emperor lived in 457–479. Other emperors also built palaces at Asuka, including * ''Chikatsu-Asuka-Yatsuri'' Palace, 485–487 in reign of

Emperor Kenzō (450 — 2 June 487) was the 23rd legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 顕宗天皇 (23) retrieved 2013-8-29. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's lif ...

* ''Shikishima no Kanasashi'' Palace, 540–571 in reign of

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...

* ''Toyura'' Palace or ''Toyura-no-miya'', 593–603Asuka Historical Museum
Palaces of the Asuka Period,"
1995; retrieved 2011-11-25. in the reign of

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japan ...

Ponsonby-Fane, p. 20. * ''Oharida'' Palace or ''Oharida-no-miya'', 603–629 in the Suiko's reign * ''Okamoto'' Palace or ''Okamoto-no-miya'', 630–636 in the reign of Emperor JomeiPonsonby-Fane, p. 21. * ''Tanaka'' Palace, 636–40 * ''Umayasaka'' Palace, 640 In 640–642, the Imperial court briefly moved to the ''Kudara'' Palace in

Kōryō, Nara is a town located in Kitakatsuragi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It served as Japan's temporary capital from 640-642 AD, the Kudara Palace. ''Kudara'' is a reference to the Korean kingdom of Baekje and "Koryo" is a reference to Korea. H ...

; then the emperor returned to Asuka where he lived at * ''Oharida'' Palace, 642–643 * ''Itabuki'' Palace or ''Itabuki no miya'', 643–645 in the reign of

Empress Kōgyoku , also known as , was the 35th and 37th monarch of Japan,Kunaichō 斉明天皇 (37)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Kōgyoku's reign spanned the years from 642 to 645. Her reign as Saimei encompassed 655 to 661. In other ...

In 645–654, the court moved to the ''Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki'' Palace in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

; then the capital moved back to Asuka when the emperor lived at * ''Itabuki'' Palace, 655–655 in the reign of

Emperor Kōtoku was the 36th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 孝徳天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654. Traditional narrative Before Kōtoku's ascen ...

* ''Kawahara'' Palace or ''Kawahara-no-miya'', 655–655 * ''Okamoto'' Palace or ''Nochi no Asuka-Okamoto-no-miya'', 656–660 in the reign of

Empress Saimei An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

Ponsonby-Fane, p. 24. In 661–667, the court moved to the ''Tachibana no Hironiwa'' Palace (661–67) in

Asakura, Fukuoka is a city located in south central Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Kyūshū Island. The modern city of Asakura was established on March 20, 2006, from the merger of the former town of Asakura (from Asakura District), absorbing the city of Amag ...

. Then the court moved again to the ''Ōmi'' Palace or ''Ōtsu'' Palace (667–72) in Ōmi-kyō (today Ōtsu, Shiga). Once more, the court moved back to Asuka at * ''Kiyomihara'' Palace or ''Kiomihara-no-miya'', 672–694 in the reign of Emperor TenmuPonsonby-Fane, p. 26. and in the reign of

Empress Jitō was the 41st monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 持統天皇 (41)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Jitō's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). In the history of ...

Ponsonby-Fane, p. 27. Asuka was abandoned by

when she and her court moved to Fujiwara-kyō.

External links

* Asuka Historical Museum

exterior view

References